Senior Education Officer

• Country: Switzerland
• Vacancies No: N/A
  
• Salary: N/A 
• No of Jobs: N/A
  
• Education: Undergraduate
• Experience: 9 years
  
• Gender: Both

Duties
In HQ
– Translate global education objectives and strategic directions into regional or national guidance, strategies and priorities.
– Engage, promote and foster partnerships/collaboration with education stakeholders and bodies within the AoR in line with the GCR.
– Provide technical advice and support on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions, in line with UNHCR education policy and other corporate priorities, including through remote support and field missions.
– Support and provide technical advice to senior management and Policy and Development staff allowing for advocacy activities with States and international organisations on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions, including on engaging in global planning processes and multi-country partnerships such as the UNICEF Blueprint.
– Participate in humanitarian and development sector working groups to support and ensure all refugee education support programming at country level is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serves system strengthening.
– Assist Bureaux and Country Office(s) to elaborate and implement strategies to address issues related to education access, quality and data, in cooperation with other UN agencies (UNICEF, UNESCO, WFP, etc.) and other key education stakeholders.
– Undertake direct dialogue with Country Office(s) on the implementation of education programmes in line with strategic directions, integrated with SDG4 and Education Sector Plans, including with Ministries of Education/Higher Education, education partners and coordination networks (Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and Local Education Groups, etc.).
– Foster and ensure inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with child protection, GBV, gender, community services, livelihoods/economic inclusion and health, among others, and provide specialist advice for other sectors, to ensure that they fully integrate education related concerns in their planning.
– Monitor implementation of education programmes within the AoR and provide guidance on orientation.
– Support and monitor the implementation of Global Refugee Forum pledges within the AoR.
– Coordinate UNHCR’s role concerning education, represent UNHCR at consultations, and represent UNHCR’s education strategy and policy to other UN bodies, NGOs, interlocutors, institutions and organisations within the AoR.
– Identify training needs and train UNHCR staff, sister UN agency staff, NGOs, and Ministry of Education officials on refugee education priorities and identified topics.
– Develop and disseminate relevant tools to support UNHCR staff and partners in Country Office(s).
– Ensure active exchange of information and that promising practices and case studies are identified, documented and disseminated both within the AoR and beyond.
– Join joint assessment missions in emergencies to minimise the time refugee children and youth spend out of education (ideally a maximum of three months after arrival).
– Prepare, co-ordinate and oversee drafting of education input in key internal and external documents and reports.
– Where relevant, lead

In the Regional Bureaux
– Translate global education objectives and strategic directions into regional guidance, strategies and priorities, in collaboration with the Education Section in HQ, to ensure coherence with UNHCR’s education policy and strategy regionally and at country level. Develop regionally specific strategies, including key regional interlocuters, and considering cross-border issues.
– Support and provide technical advice to senior management and Policy and Development staff allowing for advocacy activities with States and international organisations on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions at regional level. Provide support to Country Offices for engagement with these.
– Participate in regional humanitarian and development sector working groups to support that all refugee education support programming at country level is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serves system strengthening and meeting refugees’ needs.
– Assist in the planning and coordination of UNHCR’s role concerning education, represent UNHCR at regional consultations, and represent UNHCR’s education strategy and policy to other UN bodies, NGOs, interlocutors, institutions and organisations within the AoR.
– With HQ, assist Country Office(s) to elaborate and implement strategies to address issues related to education access, quality and data. Synthesise and analyse data across countries in the region, making recommendations for how to react to trends, and contributing to global data and communications / advocacy approaches.
– Foster and ensure inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with child protection, GBV, gender, community services, livelihoods/economic inclusion and health, among others, and provide specialist advice for other sectors, to ensure that they fully integrate education related concerns in their planning.
– Undertake direct dialogue with Country Office(s) on the implementation of education programmes in line with strategic directions, integrated with SDG4 and Education Sector Plans, including with Ministries of Education/Higher Education, education partners and coordination networks (Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and Local Education Groups, etc.).
– Support and monitor the implementation of Global Refugee Forum (GRF) pledges across the region within the AoR.
– Participate in joint assessment missions in emergencies to minimise the time refugee children and youth spend out of education (ideally a maximum of three months after arrival). With others in UNHCR, develop and implement approaches to track and prepare for emergencies, especially those which affect more than one country in the region.
– Where relevant, supervision or oversight of other education staff.
– Where relevant, supervision/management of other education staff at the Regional Bureau.

In the Country Operations
– Translate global and regional education objectives and strategic directions into national strategies and priorities, in collaboration with the RBs and HQ, to develop contextualised approaches which ensure coherence with UNHCR’s education policy and strategy at country level.
– Develop, implement and build capacity around monitoring and support given to all formal and informal education programmes across the Country Office: tracking progress, trends and good practices to inform partnership development and planning.
– As required, keep donor representatives briefed on developments in the education sector and assist in the development of funding submissions, appeals and reports linked to education strategic planning.
– Participate in country level humanitarian and development sector working groups to support that all refugee education support programming is extended, amplified and reported against sector development goals and humanitarian partners and funding serves system strengthening. Engage senior management at country level where needed, particularly in engaging with development actors.
– In line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach, foster and ensure inter-sectoral linkages and coordination with child protection, GBV, gender, community-based protection, livelihoods/economic inclusion and health, among others, and provide specialist advice for other sectors, to ensure that they fully integrate education related concerns in their planning.
– In emergency settings, establish and play a leadership role in education sector coordination mechanisms, ensure that education is represented in inter-sectoral appeals, establish a collective strategy for the response that supports longer-term inclusion in national systems and ensure effective monitoring of and reporting on the education response.
– Support and provide technical advice to senior management and Policy and Development staff allowing for advocacy activities with national Government counterparts and international organisations on all issues related to UNHCR education programmes and strategic directions, including engaging in national planning processes, ensuring inclusion of refugee, returnee, asylum seeking, internally displaced and stateless children and youth into e.g. SDG4 plans and Education Sector Analyses and Plans.
– Identify training needs and train UNHCR staff, sister UN agency staff, NGOs, and Ministry of Education officials on refugee education priorities and identified topics at country level, with the support of RB and HQ on global guidance
– Support and monitor the implementation of country-level Global Refugee Forum pledges within the AoR.
– Design and monitor implementation of education programmes within the AoR, provide guidance on orientation and facilitate engagement with key partners for delivery, reporting and advocacy. Participate in Multi-Functional Teams engaging with partners.
– Where relevant, supervision/management of other education staff at the country level and support and quality oversight of education focal points in the sub and field offices.

All

– Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
– Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P4/NOD – 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Education; Social Sciences; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
7 years of experience in progressively responsible functions in education. Demonstrated work experience in education programmes. Field experience in education programme management, implementation and coordination in humanitarian and/or development contexts. Experience working with Governments, Ministry of Education and other line Ministries. Strong inter-personal skills in collaboration and coordination. Excellent analytical skills and drafting skills. Strong communications/presentations skills. Demonstrated capacity to work with minimum supervision.

Desirable
Demonstrated work experience in refugee education programmes. Knowledge and experience of UNHCR policies and standards. Experience in the area of child protection. Experience with educational research, teaching or education administration. Familiarity with planning, programming, strategic planning, project development, budgeting and resource mobilization.

Functional Skills
*PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
*TR-Training – Virtual and face to face
PR-Community-based Protection – Planning, implementing and analysing surveys/assessments
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
CO-Drafting and Documentation
ED-Education programming design and quality assurance
ED-Global EiE standards and implementation
PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming
DM-Data collection methodologies
DM-Data Management
*IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Community based assessment methodologies
WB – Community Services/Social Work
ED-Education capacity building – education programming
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

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